Better than it has any right to be

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2009)

I will not lie. I enjoyed pretty much all of this film because of its' gorgeous look, thrilling action, endearing characters and involving plot. That being said, its not Citizen Kane. It is just a very good film. The tale to me seemed sort of unique. The whole business of cloning being a means of self-preservation has be touched on just not in a mainstream movie.
The cast makes this film run. McGregor and Johannsson are both endearing and innocent as two clones out in a world far grander than they had been told. Hounson is one the best actors working and here he plays a thoughtful man good at what he does but not removed from his past or its' lessons. Sean Bean's character is one I could only imagine being played by him. He is cold, intelligent, and motivated perhaps by a moral few others see. His dialogue with Hounson leaves one to wonder if he has an inflated self-image or a legitimate cause(Hounson's answer is one of my favorite lines from 2005).
The action does get a bit ludicrous but as with Bay when doesn't it. Still the when stuff goes boom in his movies my jaw drops a little. This get a bit repetitive after awhile, especially when considered the movies first act seemed a tad devoid of Bay-ness. That's OK because while buildings explode and trucks are smashed we are following our two leads (who's token love story is tolerable). We care about them and their buddies back at the cloning mecca because (as the film illustrates soundly) they are REAL. The action is means to discover their fate and like so many good actions film we are only wowed because we have been made to care. Well done Michael Bay. You are now forgiven for Pearl Harbor.